This invention relates generally to trash compactors and more particularly relates to apparatus for compacting trash in industrial or commercial applications, especially under hazardous operating conditions.
The ecology movement has focussed interests in several technological areas. One of these areas is the treatment and disposal of trash. One way of preliminarily treating the trash prior to ultimate disposal is compacting, wherein the trash is subjected to forces which compress and distill the trash into a compact and manageable form. Trash compactors have taken many forms and have been the subjects of many proposals for use in the home and business.
Trash compactors which have been suggested for home usage are generally lightweight units designed for light applications. Household type trash is relatively easy to compact, so consumer designs have focused on designs which are affordable by the consumer and which are sufficiently but not excessively rugged.
Commercial and industrial trash compactors are of a more heavyweight design than consumer versions. Because commercial and industrial trash is generally heavier and more resistant to compacting, there are design considerations for compacting with industrial and commercial compactors which are different from those considerations in designing consumer compactors.
In addition to the need for industrial and commercial compactors to be of a rugged design, it is desirable to have a design which will accommodate a high volume of trash. Also, in some applications there is a safety factor in that the environment may contain a hazard such as explosive vapors. Also, some industrial and commercial applications call for the compacted garbage to be bagged, as opposed to being stored in metal cans.